The "Buy American" provision in the stimulus plan fails to take into account the multinational, interconnected nature of many businesses today, writes Christopher Sabatini in an El Diario/La Prensa op-ed, and ultimately will hurt the very people it's supposed to help—U.S. workers.

Falling oil prices come at a bad time for Venezuela President Hugo Chávez, whose amendment to end term limits faces a referendum on February 15.

Washington and Madrid should sieze on the chance to collaborate on Latin America policy. "[W]ith foresight, nuance, creativity, and a little good fortune, this is an emerging partnership whose time may very well have come," writes Farnsworth.

"The existing model for expanding trade in the hemisphere—in essence, piecemeal liberalization—has reached a point of diminishing returns," writes COA's Eric Farnsworth in Current History.

Five decades after the overthrow of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista, U.S.-Cuban relations remain on ice. In an op-ed, AS/COA's Christopher Sabatini writes that political prisoners and divided families stand as victims in the two countries' ongoing standoff. (en español)

In a Miami Herald op-ed, COA's Eric Farnsworth examines the U.S.-Panamanian relationship since 1989. "[T]he United States and Panama have gone from hostility and military action to development spurred by globalization and trade," he writes.

Latin Americans want Washington to join them as partners on the international stage, says Christopher Sabatini in an op-ed in the Miami Herald, citing essays from hemispheric leaders to President-elect Obama in the latest issue of Americas Quarterly.